“Simply adorkable” Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) needs a place to live after walking in on her boyfriend with another girl. She answers a Craigslist ad that she thinks is three girls looking for a fourth roommate, but turns out to be three good-looking men. They decide to give it a go and let us eavesdrop on their adventures.
Over seven seasons, we watched as the foursome fell in and out of love and engaged in frivolity like the drinking game “True American.” New Girl enjoyed a successful following, which only grew in syndication and the show’s arrival on Netflix. But where’s the talented cast now?
Zooey Deschanel as Jessica Day
Before New Girl, perhaps many people knew Deschanel as irreverent potty mouth Cheryl in Jennifer Anniston’s The Good Girl. That strange little indie flick also featured White Lotus writer/director/creator Mike White as hapless security guard Corny and Jake Gyllenhaal as Anniston’s love interest.
People may have also known Deschanel for her career in music, as she has released six albums with M. Ward as She and Him. Post-New Girl, Deschanel appeared in the music video for Katy Perry’s “Not the End of the World,” and currently cohosts Welcome to Our Show – a New Girl rewatch podcast with co-stars Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris. She’s returned to TV on the Apple TV+ series Physical — opposite Rose Byrne — and announced her engagement to Property Brothers‘ Star Jonathan Scott in August 2023.
Jake Johnson as Nick Miller
Before New Girl, Johnson was primarily a writer, and started sketch comedy troupe The Midwesterners before starring in Paper Heart, Get Him to the Greek, and No Strings Attached. Since the show wrapped, Johnson starred in Tag, Hoops, and provided the voice of Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Currently, you can catch Johnson on Minx Season 2 on Starz and Max.
Max Springfield as Schmidt
Prior to New Girl, Springfield’s most notable role was probably as Nick Pepper — Alexis Meade’s assistant at Mode — on Ugly Betty. Since then, he has starred on CBS comedy The Neighborhood, the Veronica Mars reboot, and Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Hannah Simone as Cece Parekh
Model, best friend to Jessica, and sometimes-girlfriend to Schmidt, Cece was portrayed by Hannah Simone. Prior to New Girl, Simone was a VJ on the Canadian music television channel MuchMusic. Also a cohost of podcast Welcome to Our Show, Simone provides the voice for Pinky in the Disney Junior series Mira, Royal Detective, and is currently married to fellow MuchMusic VJ Jesse Giddings. They have one child together.
Lamorne Morris as Winston Bishop
Prior to his long stint as Winston Bishop on New Girl, Morris was primarily known as a commercial actor. He was cast in ads for State Farm Insurance, Taco Bell, and Twix before landing a gig hosting BET’s HotWyred. Since New Girl, Morris has been attached to multiple projects, including The K Chronicles on Hulu, Game Night, The Christmas Chronicles, Jumanji: Next Level, Yesterday, Bloodshot, and Desperados. He also co-created and starred in the scripted action-comedy podcast Unwanted, is another cohost of podcast Welcome to Our Show, and has appeared as a guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live multiple times.
Damon Wayans Jr. as Coach
Sometimes-roommate Coach is played by Damon Wayans Jr. Wayans was cast in the role of Coach, but was unable to continue on the show when another sitcom he starred on, Happy Endings, was picked up for a second season. When Happy Endings was later canceled, New Girl managed to write Coach back into the story, and Wayans stayed for Seasons 3 and 4.
Acting since the age of 12, Wayans appeared in the 1994 movie Blankman and the sitcom My Wife and Kids. In Feb. 2023, Deadline announced that Wayans was slated to star in an untitled father/son comedy with his dad, Damon Wayans, but no word on that presently.
Wayans is married to businesswoman Samara Saraiva and they share 3 children.
Nasim Pedrad as Aly Nelson
Probably best known as Nurse Suri on ER prior to her stint on New Girl, actress/comedian/writer Nasim Pedrad began her career as a performer with L.A.’s improv troupe, The Groundlings. She was an SNL cast member for the 35th season, scored voice roles in The Lorax and Despicable Me 2, and can currently be seen starring on the Roku channel’s Chad, which also starring Jake Ryan, Paul Chahidi, and Saba Homayoon.
Julian Morris as Ryan Geauxinue
Before being cast as Ryan Geauxinue — aka hot new teacher introduced at Coolidge Middle School just after Jess has enacted a hands-off policy with faculty members — Julian Morris starred in slasher Cry Wolf and drama Whirlygirl. Post-New Girl, Morris portrayed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House opposite Liam Neeson and Diane Lane.
In 2021, Morris came out as gay. Today he lives with husband, artist Landon Ross, in L.A.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Caroline
Mary Elizabeth Ellis played Nick’s on-again-off-again girlfriend Caroline in New Girl. Prior to New Girl, Ellis was the waitress on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
She is most known for appearing opposite her husband, Charlie Day in multiple projects, including series Reno 911!, and the films El Tanto and Fool’s Paradise.
Ellis and Day still appear on the long-running sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with no end in sight. They have one child together.
Megan Fox as Reagan
Schmidt’s love interest — Reagan Lucas — was played by Megan Fox. Before New Girl, Fox starred in the films Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Jennifer’s Body. Since the show wrapped, Fox has been attached to numerous projects, including The Battle of Jangsari as news reporter Marguerite Higgins in 2018, Above the Shadows with Olivia Thirlby and Alan Ritchson in 2019, and Midnight in the Switchgrass opposite Emile Hirsch and Bruce Willis in 2021. She also scored a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover in 2023.
We look forward to seeing her in Taurus, a musical drama, starring fiancee Machine Gun Kelly, Naomi Wild, and Lil Tjay. Fox will also voice act in Naya Legend of the Golden Dolphins, along with Cheech Marin, Elliot Page, and Kate Winslet.
You can catch all seven seasons of New Girl in their entirety with a subscription to Hulu.
